washer dryers - any good?

helpimcrap

helpimcrap

helpimcrap

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i admit this is a VERY odd question but no one i know has a washer dryer - all washing machines and tumble dryers. :D:eek:

so are they actually any good?

i'm getting my own house so pricing stuff up and this has me split - a washing machine and tumble dryer i know and can (work out how to... lol) use but a washer dryer would be better for the house (not the biggest kitchen in the world) so would be easier all round.

do you literally stick in the stuff to be washed, turn it on and it cleans it and then drys it all in one go?? :confused:

i feel more at home taking an engine apart but laundry and stuff loses me... :o
 
thanks for replying and not taking the pee lol.

do they use more electricity than a tumble dryer/washing machine setup then?:confused:

or is it just coz you have to use it all everytime? :confused:
 
The washing side of a washer dryer is exactly the same as any other machine and used as normal.
The tumble drying part is a compromise between efficiency and what can be fitted into a standard cabinet.
As a consequence they dry garments but not too efficiently. The less they are asked to dry the quicker they dry it.
Also there is none or very little provision made for lint, it has to go somewhere and usually ends up blocking the filter or drying chamber, that earns me money so I love them :D
 
eddie_slovik said:
The washing side of a washer dryer is exactly the same as any other machine and used as normal.
The tumble drying part is a compromise between efficiency and what can be fitted into a standard cabinet.
As a consequence they dry garments but not too efficiently. The less they are asked to dry the quicker they dry it.
Also there is none or very little provision made for lint, it has to go somewhere and usually ends up blocking the filter or drying chamber, that earns me money so I love them :D
Click to expand...

lol is lint part of ladies undies? i've not been known for that but ya never know... lol...

cool cheers for that. it washes the same but dries a little worse. seems that soace is the key i think... :)

thanks all
 
helpimcrap said:
thanks for replying and not taking the pee lol.

do they use more electricity than a tumble dryer/washing machine setup then?:confused:

or is it just coz you have to use it all everytime? :confused:
Click to expand...

It was a general question so no need to take the water. I have used a combi washer/dryer and I would say the washer part for cost is fine but when it drys the clothes after it uses more electric but if your not bothed about the electric bills then go for it. They do the job as if you had a dryer seperate.

You don't have to use the dryer part all the time you can turn that off I think, well the ones I have used you can turn it off so not sure about that one.

To be honest, use your washing line to dry clothes. It's more natural and cost effective.
 
I have had a combi and separates.

If you have the room, go for separates because the dryer on combis isn't as good.

In addition, I don't trust the reliabilty of washing machines and dryers, so having both in one seems like a recipe for double the failure rate to me.
 
helpimcrap said:
lol is lint part of ladies undies? i've not been known for that but ya never know... lol...

cool cheers for that. it washes the same but dries a little worse. seems that soace is the key i think... :)

thanks all
Click to expand...

Lint is the fluff tumble dryers accumilate by doing there job, seperate dryers have filters to collect it, washer dryers don't.

I love ladies undies, especially bras, as I earn a lot of money removing parts of them from appliances.

Actually washer dryers use less power to dry a given load than conventional dryers as they recycle the warm air meaning the element is powered less ;)
 
In a word no.
They'll wash fine but the drying will on the whole be rubbish even compared to a £120 bog standard tumble dryer.
Avoid Hotpoint Indesit like the plague as they use hot water in the drying process (check their water consumption compared to Bosch / Siemens)
Miele is the best but £1200. Best bet if you must have one is Bosch/Siemens although the Samsung one is pretty good too
 
All the washer dryer combos we ever bought broke not long after the year guarantee. We now have separate washer and dryer and they have lasted longer than all the combos we've had put together.

Also combos take too long to dry compared to an actual dryer (in my experience)
 
We had two washer dryers but would say they probably had a life expectancy around 30% less (read 5 years instead of 7 or 8) vs the conventional standalone washing machines we've owned. With the dishonourable exception of our last washer which was a Whirlpool that chewed two drum bearings in 15 months and got rid of for a JL with three year warranty. Bought a separate (cheap) dryer which thus far has lasted 18 months though obviously not used much in the summer, except to dry towels which for some reason always end up hard and starchy if aired outside.
 
Washer/dryers are a compromise and don't do the jobs better than seperates.
They are also prone to break down more.
Buy German and stay away from Italian (Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit, Ariston)
 
I've had a LG direct drive washer drier for 4 years without any prob; it was pricey but will wash a big load .... I can use it at night without disturbing neighbours too as it is very, very quiet.

I dry stuff outside when I can but use the drier mode when weather bad.
 
I echo the comments about reliability, I had one that packed in not too long out of guarantee period, replaced with a Bosch standalone now, seems much better.
 
Jimbo Mahoney said:
I have had a combi and separates.

If you have the room, go for separates because the dryer on combis isn't as good.

In addition, I don't trust the reliabilty of washing machines and dryers, so having both in one seems like a recipe for double the failure rate to me.
Click to expand...

Correct!

Whilst working in retail, I never saw a combi last beyond its 1 year warranty without a monumental problem. Thats working for a company which sells hundreds of them a year lol.
 
I have a milele washer & miele dryer - they provide a bracket so you can stack them one on top of the other - has been rock solid for the past 3 years and both appliances came with a 5 year warranty.
 
If you've got the room, it's the best option.

That said, I've got a 17-year-old washer drier. It's been making 'interesting' noises for a while so I'm sure it'll go pop sooner or later, but until it does, it's doing the same job it's done for all that time. Only me though so doesn't get heavily used.

That's a Zanussi. Made in the UK. When they cared about quality. Only had one fault on it (power button failed). Not looking forward to when it does die, as while the next one will supposedly be more energy efficient, it'll take twice as long and be built using the cheapest components possible.
 
I have a cheap tumble dryer and it costs about 40p per hour to run. It's not "cheap" but I don't think it's expensive, I only do one wash a week so £22 a year, I'll take that bill if it means I don't have to hang out washing, or iron :p
 
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